Spiced Lamb Meatball and Swiss Chard Stew

Permission to improvise! I mixed ground beef and ground lamb (not a huge fan of the lamb flavor), browned a few meatballs in the pot to flavor the soup, and then baked the rest of the meatballs in the oven, doubled the orzo. Super good, everyone had seconds, plus leftovers for lunch the next day, and now we're all bummed it's gone.

Hello, Just a quick note to let you know we have extended the orzo cooking time to 11 minutes. We tested this with two different brands but are glad you pointed out that our range should have been longer than previously stated. Many thanks, Chris Morocco

My husband and I both thought this was great. The broth really takes on the flavor of the lamb. I completely forgot to add the orzo at the end (we were hungry), but it was great without it...and still very filling. I was able to make about 30 good sized meatballs, instead of only 16. They would have been pretty huge if I had only made 16. Also, I used ground cumin instead of crushed cumin seeds. Next time, I may consider adding more broth...6 cups didn't go very far given the amount of meat. Yum.

It sounds very good. Would love to see a review from someone who made the recipe as written. I didn't think it was supposed to be spicy--said "spiced," not spicy. The cumin would be a nice touch What else could be added to make it spicy and still go with the lamb?

I made this for dinner last night. "Spicy" is quite a stretch. It was not. It was tasty enough, but definitely NO heat. Also, I am glad I decided NOT to follow the recipe regarding when to add the orzo. It would not have been cooked. I followed the directions on the back of the pasta box and left it for 11 minutes, and it was nice and tender. I substituted fresh baby spinach for the Swiss chard (hubby wouldn't eat the chard), and it was fine. Thumbs definitely "sideways" on this one.